This was not our first choice itinerary, but were never cleared from the waitlist on a Circle Japan cruise, so opted for this since it fit our schedule and was during the cherry blossom season. Ship could use some sprucing up and showed signs of age, surprising for Princess. My top gripes were the mediocre food in the dining room and Sabatini's and the so-so entertainment and onboard activities, with the exception of a terrific singer brought on toward the end of the cruise.

The guest lecturer was an American woman who delivered pretty boring, academic lectures about ancient Japanese art and practices. It would have been so much more engaging to hear about current Japanese cultural stuff like the significance of cherry blossom season, temples vs shrines, food, Japanese toilets, and a lot more that we were experiencing on our excursions.

This ship does not offer 'anytime dining', which meant that we sat at the same table nightly with the same passengers. We would have loved to have met others! Read more